About Us

OUR COMPANY

Lunt Solar Systems is a manufacturing and sales facility located in Tucson, Arizona that designs, fabricates, assembles, and tests solar telescopes and solar filters. Due to our location here in Tucson, we have the opportunity to witness some amazing astronomical phenomena. Tucson has about 300 clear days per year. Being in the Solar Telescope market we feel that it is important that we have access to these clear skies as often as possible.

We personally test every Telescope and Filter that ships from Lunt Solar. We do this in order to maintain the best quality control possible. Which removes any doubt as to what issues may be present and helps us promote the best solutions to each problem. Whether it be alignment, off-band, astigmatism, pinching, pin holes, banding, etc.— none of these issues are overlooked.

We feel that if the customer receives the product in the same condition that it left the factory, they will be very pleased. As we all know, there are times when issues arise due to the shipping gauntlet.That is why we handle all our products with the care and efficiency our customers desire.

Quality & Safety

The public often asks if it is safe to look through a Lunt Solar product. We’ve been testing these products for almost 20 years. Safety is our number one priority in this hobby. Lunt takes safety very seriously, and the testing of any filter or scope should be done by a person with complete understanding of the product, from design to function to safety. The person testing products should have the experience necessary to determine whether a unit actually passes or fails the quality control criteria.

NO OTHER ASTRONOMICAL PRODUCT REQUIRES A HIGHER LEVEL OF QUALITY CONTROL THAN A SOLAR INSTRUMENT.

Lunt purchases raw glass materials from a company on the east coast. We grind, edge, bevel, and polish all the glass needed for the etalon and filter systems in-house. Most coatings are outsourced to a coating facility that maintains a coating chamber specific to our requirements. Our coating facility has the required ability to produce AR coatings at less than 0.1% R, and typically in the 0.06% R range. They also hold the high reflectivity coatings to better than ±1%. The ability to control the coating processes to such high accuracy has allowed us to make precision modifications to the coating formulas, which have proven to improve contrast by reducing background noise.

Lunt purchases mechanical parts from numerous locations. We have a local, family-owned, CNC machine shop in our industrial complex that fabricates many of the unique parts specific to adapting existing scopes for Solar use. Adapter plates, prototype parts, and some mechanical parts are also made in-house.

We do our very best to provide a quality product at an affordable price. We are also very proud to put “Made in the USA” on all our Telescopes and Filter products. Whether you are looking for a dedicated Solar Telescope or a Solar Filter for your own astronomy telescope, we can help. — Andy Lunt

The Lunt Team

ANDREW LUNT

Founder/Chief Designer

With over 20 years of experience in optics, design, product testing and manufacturing; Andrew Lunt is committed to designing and producing quality products for the hobbyist astronomer and occasional enthusiast. Andrew takes great pride in his team at Lunt Solar Systems for their innovation and quality design of each product.

MARKUS LUDES

Head of Optics

Our Head of Optics, Markus Ludes, is the best in the business. With his vast knowledge and years of hands on experience, Markus is a key member of the optics team. His quality designs and product testing skills have helped Lunt Solar Systems create some of the most sophisticated and safe optical systems.

BRIAN STEPHENS

Lead Design Engineer

Since the company’s inception, Brian Stephens has been the man with the plan for all of our product development needs. With a background in optics as well as assembling and troubleshooting optical systems; Brian’s dedication to high quality systems has helped our team in producing truly intuitive products that everyone can use.

BRANDON KEITH

Senior Optician

Meet our jack of all trades, Brandon Keith. Brandon is our expert craftsman when it comes to product design. His experience in the building, assembling, and inspection of optics products makes him a cut above the rest in the workshop.

FAYE ROMAN

Head of Customer Support

We know that many of our customers may be new to the astronomy hobby scene. That’s why Faye Roman has been our Head of Customer Support since 2012. So whether you have questions regarding how to get started or how to maintain your solar systems equipment, Faye is ready to answer all your questions. Her dedication to our customers’ needs makes our team all the more invested in producing innovative and easy to use products.

DAVID FONSECA

Lead Optics Preparation Advisor

Another key player in the workshop, David Fonesca is our lead preparation advisor. David takes care of all the major optics components from lenses to filters to eyepieces. His passion for his work and his impeccable skills are what make Lunt Solar Systems products high quality.

CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS

This is an extremely well made instrument that makes solar observing in white-light a new experience. My recent comparisons with high-end films and glass filters have proven to me that solar detail through the wedge is superior. I was concerned about heat issues, but when observing with a 4" refractor for an hour or more, the red disk never became too hot for comfort. The Lunt Herschel Wedge has brought quality sunspot observing back into my daily routine.

Forrest Lockhart

The Lunt PC-USB Pressure Tuner Controller allows incredibly precise control of the view from the scope. After trying hand tuning the scope while both visually and photographic viewing, this device makes the setup process quite straightforward and repeatable in comparison. Tuning can be done at a distance which allows the scope to be unperturbed while viewing. I am glad that I purchased this instrument to improve my viewing!

brycelord72

Have been using this scope for over a year. Totally tricked out with the FT focuser, B1800 BF, and DSII module.
All I can say is wow, wOW, and WOW. I’m mainly a visual observer so chose this particular model as its the
minimum size required to see spicules (fuzz around the suns edge).
Do yourself a favour and hang a binoviewer off it. I do and to be honest I could sit and stare at the sun all day!
Pressure tuning, yes that’s the only way to fly!
This scope is a keeper, forever. Thanks Lunt!